Interstate 495, more commonly referred to as The Capital Beltway or just “The Beltway”, is one of the most heavily trafficked roads in the entire United States. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most common places for traffic collisions to occur in and around the District of Columbia. Since those wrecks often happen at highway speeds, they often result in serious injuries to those involved.
Getting hurt in a Beltway car accident in DC can be disruptive to every part of your daily life. It can also be challenging to know where and how to file suit following a crash. Fortunately, you have support available from knowledgeable auto accident lawyers with years of experience getting good results from cases much like yours.
Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia all have effectively identical laws prohibiting hit and runs, so no matter where an auto accident occurs on the Beltway, the expectations imposed on the driver(s) involved are basically the same. Anyone involved in a crash on any part of I-495 should:
After doing that, drivers who do not need emergency medical care are expected to remain at the scene of the wreck until they have spoken to responding police officers and exchanged contact and insurance information with everyone else involved. It can also be helpful to gather preliminary evidence which might be relevant to a civil claim later on. For example, getting contact information from eyewitnesses who were not directly involved in the accident or taking photos of the crash scene and all damage sustained by involved vehicles can be very helpful in proving your case down the road
Other than a small stretch of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, which technically enters the District of Columbia for about a tenth of a mile, the remainder of the Beltway is located in either the state of Virginia or the state of Maryland. The specific geographic location where a Beltway car accident occurs determines which state’s laws would apply to an ensuing personal injury lawsuit. Wrecks south or west of the Potomac fall under the purview of Virginia state law. Wrecks north or east of the river are governed by Maryland law.
As a result, the process of filing suit over a car crash on the Beltway can look different from person to person, depending on where the wreck happened. For instance, Virginia has a slightly stricter statute of limitations, which allows injured people less time to file suit after initially getting hurt compared to what Maryland allows. Meanwhile, Maryland imposes caps on recovery for non-economic forms of harm, which do not apply to accidents in Virginia. This is a big reason why it can be so important after this particular type of incident to have help from an experienced lawyer who knows how to handle cases in both states as well as DC itself.
Hundreds of auto accidents occur on the Capital Beltway every year, and many of those wrecks have life-altering repercussions for the people involved in them. No matter what kind of injuries you have sustained from a crash of this nature, though, you likely have a right to seek compensation for your ensuing losses in more than one way.
The guidance of a dedicated lawyer can make a huge difference in your ability to enforce your rights and move on from a serious Beltway car accident in DC. Call Price Benowitz for a free case evaluation.
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